Margaret Cho headlines Pride Festival

Comedian proud of her status as a champion of gay rights

2011 San Diego LGBT Pride

Events begin Friday and run through Sunday all over Hillcrest and Balboa Park.

The Spirit of Stonewall Rally

6:30 p.m. Friday

The main Festival Stage at Marston Point in Balboa Park (intersection of Balboa Avenue and Juniper Street). Recipients of the 2011 San Diego Pride Awards will be announced, with best-selling author Marianne Williamson as the keynote speaker. Daniel Hernandez Jr., who came to the aid of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, will also speak.

5K Run & Stride with Pride

10 a.m. Saturday

Start and finish location: University Avenue at Normal Street

Parade

11 a.m. to about 1 p.m. Saturday

Begins at University Avenue and Normal Street and ends at Balboa Park on Sixth Avenue. This year’s parade — themed “Pride Around the World” — will feature “Family Ties” mom Meredith Baxter, who came out in 2009, as the grand marshal. The community grand marshal will be Chris Shaw, a local businessman who owns several restaurants, including Urban Mo’s and Baja Betty’s.

Festival

Noon to 10 p.m. Saturday;﻿ 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday

All around Marston Point (Sixth and Laurel) in Balboa Park. With Saturday performances by Ross Mathews, Danielle Lopresti and the Masses, Margaret Cho, Toby Love and Kristine W; Sunday performances by God-Des & She, Frenchie Davis and Salt-N-Pepa.

Festival Tickets: Adults, $20 a day before 6 p.m.; $25 after 6 p.m.; or $30 for the weekend. With valid ID, $10 for seniors and students (18-24); youth (13-17) $5. Free to active-duty military with ID. Children under 12 are free.

For comedian Margaret Cho, equal rights for the gay community is nothing to laugh about.

“I’m proud of being part of the community,” said Cho, who’s known as much for her raunchy comedy as she is for her icon status in the gay community. “It’s my home, my family, it’s my whole life. Having grown up and seeing the changes happen and to work for political change is an important thing, and it’s exciting to witness and experience.

“I’m proud of where we are now and that we are being recognized,” she added. “(But) there’s still a lot to be done. I’m looking forward for equal rights. It will happen.”

The 42-year-old comedian will headline the San Diego Pride Festival on Saturday as part of the three-day Pride event in Hillcrest, which is expected to attract more than 150,000 people. Starting with a political rally on Friday night, this weekend’s festival will have performances by, among others, Salt-N-Pepa, Ross Matthews and Toby Love.

With “Family Ties” actress Meredith Baxter as grand marshal, Saturday’s parade will feature more than 160 floats. For the first time in Pride history, nearly 200 active-duty service members and veterans from all branches of the military will march in the parade.

For Cho, being a part of Pride events is nothing new. “For me, it is something that I’ve done for 30 years,” said Cho, who will also be in the parade on Saturday. “It’s a very enlightening and delightful time of year. It’s a time of completion — a new cycle begins and we ask ourselves how do we continue to celebrate after the Pride is over?”